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6.2.12

True Success

The topic was suggested for our latest blog cruise: what is success in our homeschool; how do I measure it?

There are times when I give my children placement tests. I use them as a tool, but not as an indicator of success. I learned long ago education is subjective, and someone trained to excel at standardized tests may have a head full of useless information. I want my children to be able to converse intelligently about many subjects, but I don't count that "success."

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels,

but have not love,

I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

I Corinthians 13:1

My ultimate goal for all of my children is for them to be able to confidently lovingly share the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

When I was little my Grandmother shared that she wanted wisdom like Solomon. I didn't understand then, especially when I was fishing for a gift idea. "What can I give you?" I would ask, expecting her to say something like a new pair of slippers. Looking back, she was one of the wisest people I ever knew.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the glorious Father,

may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation,

so that you may know him better.

Ephesians 1:17

As a parent, as a teacher, as an example, I want so much for my children. I wonder about their future. But success isn't up to me. I can help prepare them for what ever is ahead of them. I can lead them to memorize Scripture for them to recall years from now. Their success, though, isn't so much up to me that it should be a weight on my shoulders.

Now all has been heard;

here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments,

for this is the whole duty of man.

Ecclesiastes 12:13

For now, day by day, a glimpse of success is when the kids listen and obey the first time my husband or I give them an instruction, when instead of arguing they show each other love, or when my own example is more good than bad. Success is measured in every day little things but ultimately the true measure is their life.

We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light.

Colossians 1: 9b-12

To see what other TOS homeschool crew reviewers share about measuring success, click here (links will be available Tuesday.)

3 comments:

I love this post, Jennifer! And I totally agree with you. I read somewhere a homeschool dad saying that if he had to choose between the option of teaching his children to love God or teaching them to be very well educated, he would teach his children to love God. I think that should be our main goal, and God will make sure (with our cooperation) that our children learn what they need to know to be successful in life.